


Avatar - Sunrises and Percipices

by Ruuze



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Bending (Avatar), Blood and Violence, Character Death, Denial of Feelings, Fights, Fluff and Angst, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-04-24 06:53:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14350224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruuze/pseuds/Ruuze
Summary: After 15 years of being held like a beast and trained to be a weapon, Yeo desires nothing but either freedom or death. But when she finally gets what she wanted so much for such a long time, she is met with the responsibilities of the Avatar and a world that only wants to get rid of her or just simply denies her existence.How should she restore the balance if humanity itself seems to be her opponent? There are so many possible paths to tread, but none seems right...





	1. The Raging Beast

**Author's Note:**

> It plays after Korra's death, but I don't really like LoK so it's only roughly based on it. The gates to the spirit world have been closed again, I might explain why, but only if it fits somewhere. Besides that, I will give my best to write it in a way that doesn't require any knowledge about the series, which also means that some things might be different from the original world - so an AU of Avatar but set in the "future".  
> It's my first time writing a story in english cause it's not my native language so please bare with my limited skills ^^

 

 

She slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the pitch black darkness. It was still night, why did she wake up? Then she realized that someone was carrying her. It was a familiar feeling, and as she glanced upwards, she was sure that it was her brother.

Her movements caused him to halt and look down on her. She believed to hear a sigh, but being still drowsy, it might just have been her imagination.

„What ya doin‘?“, mumbled the little girl, rubbing her eyes.

Bao let her down. „I want to show you something.“

She waited, expecting him to explain further, but he didn‘t. He just grabbed her hand, his own nearly swallowing it, and dragged her along.

There was nothing but the sound of small, bare feet in the hutt they called their home. Through their connected hands, she could feel Bao tensing.

„Bao… I‘m tired… I want to go back to sleep“, complained the six-year old, trying to get her hand back.

But he was nine years older and had no intention of letting go.

„Shh. We don‘t want to wake mom and dad.“

They reached the wooden door and Bao carefully opened it, only a small bit at first. He glanced through the gap, then stuck is head out, looking around.

„Come.“

He dragged her outside, closing the door slowly to avoid making noises. He scanned their surroundings.

His little sister began to wonder, why he was being so wary. It was obvious that he didn‘t want anyone to know that they went out in the middle of the night. Interest and excitement built up in the girl. Would they go on an adventure? It wouldn‘t be the first time. Bao had brought her to many places, mostly without their parents knowing. Everytime, it had been a lot of fun. Even when they went to the frozen lake once and the ice cracked beneath her, causing her to nearly drown.

But Bao had saved her. He would always watch over her. He would always be there to prevent the worst from happening.

Remembering their past adventures, she got even more excited and was now eager to go wherever her brother wanted to take her.

Luckily it was new moon and the whole village was asleep. No one would notice them. No one would try to stop them.

She thought her brother would relax as soon as they left the mud hutts behind them, but Bao tensed even more. He didn‘t let go of her hand, neither did he slow down his fast pace.

They reached the forest. Pitch black darkness lurked between the trees. Besides the rustling leaves, it was absolutely quiet. The forest had always been scary, even during daytime, but now it felt threatening.

Bao hesitated for a second, but then he stepped into the shadows, dragging his sister with him.

She didn‘t complain. As long as he was with her, there was nothing to fear.

Even though she desired to cling to his arm, she resisted. He would scold her if she were to show her fear. She didn‘t need to be scolded, she was strong. And him holding her hand was already more comfort than he usually gave her.

They walked longer than she had expected. They even went past the lake where she nearly drowned and that had been the farthest he ever took her.

The previously felt excitement started to fade and the pain her bare feet felt from the uneven ground and the small stones and branches, grew more and more present.

„Where are we goin‘?“, she started to complain again.

No answer.

„I‘m tired.“

Bao didn‘t react.

„Bao...“

Still nothing.

„Bao. My feet hurt“

The girl grew impatient.

„Bao!“

He suddenly pulled her closer and pressed his palm on her mouth. Even in the darkness of the forest, she was able to see his angry gaze.

„Quiet. Or do you want me to leave you here?“

His voice was weird. Besides the sharp tone that she had heard many times already, there was something else. His breathing was stronger, faster, causing his voice to tremble a bit. And it was cold. Not ice cold. More like he put a cold stone wall between them.

It was a voice she didn‘t know.

For the rest of the walk she kept quiet. Somehow, she was dreading the moment they would reach their destination. The events of the night felt off. Something wasn‘t right. But Bao was by her side. He would always watch over her.

Eventually, they reached a clearing in the forest. The little girl had to clench her eyes at the sudden light in front of her. Slowly she adjusted, her brother dragged her with him, closer to the light.

There was a closed carriage made out of wood and metal. Four men guarded it. Each one had a lantern in his hand and another four dangled from the edges of the carriage.

Their aura was intimidating. Big, round hats casted shadows over their faces, and they were tall and muscular. Even Bao was nearly a head smaller than them, and he had already surpassed his own father‘s height, though only by a few centimeters.

„I‘m here. It‘s her.“ Bao‘s voice cut through the silence like a knife.

One of the men stepped forward. He held his lantern higher and took a good look at the boy‘s face. Then he scrutinized his sister.

„Are you sure? To me, she looks like nothing but a weak little girl.“

The stranger‘s voice was hard and deep. It sounded skeptical. It send shivers down the six-year old‘s spine.

„I am. I did my part, now keep your promise.“ Even though Bao gave his best to sound unfazed and mature, he was still a teenager. His tensed body and sweating hand, which still held that of his sister, clearly indicated that he feared those men. And there was still the trembling in his voice.

The person in front of them sighed. He seemed disappointed, but the girl didn‘t know why.

He waved at his companions and they took something out of the carriage. It was a small chest.

„The Avatar for the chest“, the man said.

„And my village, my family.“ Bao seemed like he didn‘t trust the stranger even though it definitely wasn‘t their first meeting.

The man laughed dryly.

„Selling his own sister and then worrying about his family.“ He shook is head, amused by the boy. „Well, whatever you want. We‘re not interested anyways.“

A smug grin flashed in the darkness.

„Now, will we?“

The stranger held out his hand. It was big and at first, it looked like it nothing but thick, black bones. But in reality, the man wore gloves made out of earth.

Bao pulled at his sister‘s hand, then pushed her towards the unknown person. The girl gasped at the rough treatment and even let out a small squiek when the hard, cold, in earth covered hand grabbed her shoulder tightly.

The man with the chest handed it over to Bao, then placed his hand on the little girl as well. But she only had eyes for her brother.

Her scared look searched his face for answers, for reassurance. But his face was unreadable, his olive eyes empty and cold in the light of the lanterns.

If he was unfazed, then there was nothing to worry about, right? If her brother was alright with this, she would be okay, right? Bao always watched over her, he certainly wouldn‘t leave her.

„Goodbye, _boy_ “, said the stranger who had lead the conversation, emphasizing the last word like an insult.

Surprisingly, the boy twitched, maybe a small sign of vulnerability, then he nodded. Without a second glance at his sister, he turned around and stepped back into the shadows of the forest.

The little girl started to shiver. It was only now, that her bare feet started to freeze. With her brother leaving, it seemed like the night wrapped around her like an ice-cold coat, and even though the lanterns still lit the clearing, everything was pitch black for her.

Her eyes fixated the spot where Bao had vanished.

Without her.

The men told her to be a good kid, to behave and to go with them, but she couldn‘t hear them. Her mind had went completely blank.

Since she didn‘t move by herself, she was harshly turned around and then pushed towards the carriage. She fell on her knees, weak and confused.

As she hit the cold ground, she finally caught herself again.

„Get up and walk“, one of the men said and pulled her by her hair.

She felt her throat tightening and tears filling her eyes. But she wouldn‘t cry. Bao had taught her not to cry. If she would give in now, maybe he would decide not to watch over her. Maybe he wouldn‘t join them later.

The small girl swallowed. A bit wobbly she walked to the carriage where another one of the strangers waited. Now, that she was right next to it, she saw that the metal thing was a cage. And the man opened it, most likely for her to get in.

For a second, she wondered what would happen if she were to refuse. But Bao had been afraid of these men. And he never had been afraid of anything ever before.

As she hesitated for only a short instant, she could already feel the tension rising. She didn‘t know these men, but she was sure, that they wouldn‘t be nice if she were to oppose them. She had experienced her brother getting angry whenever she had gone against him. But he never had felt as intimidating and scary as those strangers.

She climbed into the cage of the carriage.

It was better to just go along for now.

Bao had entrusted her to these guys. It would be fine. Everything was going to be alright.

Bao would watch over her.

Darkness engulfed her when they slammed the cage close.

 

*

 

 _Crash_. The boulder hit the wall behind her, sending splints flying and missing her only by milometers. A burning pain spread on her cheek, telling her how close her face had been to being crushed and shattered. Slowly, a warm liquor escaped and ran down her skin. She didn't need to touch it to know that is was blood. The feeling and scent were as familiar to her as her own body, a constant companion of her life.  
Her sharp gaze fixated on the colossal man in front of her. His twitching lips expanded into a smug grin, causing her inner self to boil. As quickly as the pain had aroused, it vanished again, carried away by the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Her opponent was an earthbender, just like her, but he clearly had no real feeling for the earth. He thought one would only need physical strength to bend. He was an idiot.

But Yeo was one as well.

Just knowing that he actually had been able to hurt her, was enough to make her angry, feeding the fire inside her that desired to burn every rational thought and human part that was left of her. For now, she was able to keep her rage under control, more or less, but another hit and she would be blinded by it.

Well, he wasn‘t a real match for her anyway. He was big and slow, an easy target. His bending was rough and had no defined technique. Though she had to admit that the boulder he threw before had been bigger and faster than she had expected it to be. But she just shrugged that off as him being lucky and her being way too unconcentrated.

She wouldn‘t make the same mistake again.

 

Originally earthbending was the strongest when one was able to wait for the right moment, but Yeo had no patience at all. She preferred to create the right moment by herself, instead of just waiting for it, attacked aggressively whenever there was an opening – sometimes even when there was none.

She moved from her spot, used the earth beneath her feet to push herself forward and increase her speed. Her arms cut threw the air in swift motions, sending earth plates towards the face of the man. She wanted to make his face bleed and his bones crack so badly. Even though he caught the first one with his teeth and shattered it, he was to slow for the rest that came flying. Before he was able to shield his face with his forearms, he had already received some ugly bruises and wounds.

But that wasn‘t enough to take down someone like him. The thing about these muscle whoppers wasn‘t their earthbending, but how many hits they were able to take. And that one wouldn‘t go down with just this much.

He started a counter attack, tensed is arms, which were probably as thick as Yeo‘s head, and sent an earth spear her way. But she was still circling him, propelling herself forward even faster. To evade the attack was nothing and a satisfied feeling spread throughout her body. He really was no match for her.

He probably had realized that as well because he stopped trying to hit her with projectiles or similar attacks. Instead, he suddenly jumped, more than hundred kilo moving upwards. But what goes up usually comes crashing down again and as he landed, he literally send waves of earth towards the female. And not just her.

He was in the very center of the small underground arena they fought in, and now the entire ground around him had come to life. Even the audience, which Yeo didn‘t even notice during a fight, yelped in surprise or maybe even fear.

The surging earth threw Yeo off her feet, her face hit the hard ground painfully and grazed over it. The scratch from before burned as dirt was rubbed into it and the metal ring around her neck choked her. The female felt dizzy, maybe even a bit nauseous. That was already the second hit she took in this fight.

Now they both were doomed.

Her opponent because he might not survive her up-coming rage, and she because she would give _them_ exactly what they wanted – the monster that resided inside of her.

Even though the world around her was spinning as she got back on her feet, Yeo didn‘t waste a second to get back at the whopper. She whirled around, seemingly kicking the air, but she actually ripped big chunks of earth out of the wall and ground around her. Since she wasn‘t fully back to her senses yet, her aiming was a bit off, but that also made it rather unpredictable. Some hit the colossal man, but most of them crashed into the wall behind and got stuck there. The guy tried to counterattack, but Yeo didn‘t give him the time to do something similar to before. Even if she didn‘t hit him often, he wasn‘t able to pause and gather enough power to unleash those waves again.

But just angrily throwing rocks at him wouldn‘t end the fight, and besides that, she felt the strong need to beat him to a pulp.

Yeo raised her hands high, mentally grabbing the boulders she had thrown into the wall behind her opponent. Then she pulled, letting out an angry scream as she let thick pillars grow out of them, slamming into the back of the unprepared man. Growling at the sudden pain, he fell forward, barely able to stop himself from hitting the ground with his face first.

The female quickly proceeded to attack him and made use of the fact, that he had lost his balance. She stomped on the ground and jerked her arms above her head, raising a wall of earth in front of her. It requested strength and time, but she had timed things well. The man had just gotten back on his feet, still off balance, when she pushed the wall towards him. He was too bulk to fall again, but that wasn‘t what she had intended anyway. Instead she made him stumble backwards and he hit the earth pillars once again, which still protruded out of the wall.

Now she had him right where she wanted.

She used the ground beneath her feet to push herself forward with intense speed, closer to the colossal man. Her eyes burned with rage and a monstrous killing intend emitted from her. She pulled her right arm back and then, with all her might, threw a punch towards her opponent. Following her motions a spear shot out of the earth and hit the man right in the solar plexus.

Yeo heard the sickening sound of breaking bones and the male earthbender coughed blood, then he collapsed. For a moment she only heard her own heavy breathing, then slowly the adrenaline faded, she calmed down a bit, and for the first time since the fight had started, she heard the loud yelling of the audience.

She raised her head and looked at the people leaning against the border of the arena, at least two meters above her head. Some of them were laughing or cheering aggressively, others showed anger because of the defeat of the colossal man. A few even threw their trash at Yeo. One hit her head with a grease soaked paper ball, causing her to furiously turn around and growl like a carnivorous animal.

„And, once again, the Raging Beast is the one to achieve victory!“ The voice of an euphoric announcer halled through the large room of the underground arena. „That was a hard hit the Colossal Rock had to take! We will take a short break and check whether he‘s still alive, we will resume in a few minutes!“

Just hearing the annoyed groaning caused Yeo to feel sick. Even though she was the one who had nearly pierced right through the now unconscious fighter, it was disgusting how no one really cared about his condition, all of this was nothing but entertainment for them. With luck, they would get someone to treat him – if there was any chance of survival to begin with. In fact, the ‚Colossal Rock‘ probably had known that the illegal fights of the underground arena would cause his death one day, though maybe he didn‘t expected he would last only this long. Everyone who participated was prepared to die or at least be disabled for the rest of their lives. Rules didn‘t exist here.

Yeo stepped back a bit and let the earth spears and pillars crumble to make room for a man that was in charge of checking the pulse of the Colossal Rock. He was still alive, it seemed. A part of the female fighter felt relief, but her face didn‘t show it. Instead she looked away and, once again, watched the people above. She saw one of the men who had brought her here today, eyeing her with an unpleased, cold expression, and she unconsciously scratched at the metal ring around her neck. A cold shiver ran down her spine and she averted her eyes – slowly, she didn‘t want him to see that she was scared. Even though she had won, even though she had shown the monster they created and beat the shit out of that whopper, the man seemed dissatisfied. Why? Was it because she had taken a few hits as well? Or because she hadn‘t killed her opponent? Probably, no, most likely those really were the reasons.

Anger welled up inside her again. Those people should consider themselves lucky that she played along and did what they wanted. Yes, she feared them, but at the same time she was so hot-blooded and hated them so much, that she opposed them from time to time. Her body was still a bit weakened from the punishment she had received after the last time she had done so.

Suddenly a hand approached her and out of reflex she grabbed it tightly, ready to break some more bones. But it was just the man who had checked on the Colossal Rock and he pleaded her to let go of his wrist. She did, though a bit reluctantly. He immediately started to smile at her, small wrinkles appearing in his pale face. He looked a bit unkempt because of his stubble beard and the messy bun with loose strains of black hair on top of his head.

Yeo narrowed her eyes. His positive smile made him weird, but him approaching her indicated that he either was crazy or someone with unusual ulterior motives. He was suspicious. Maybe it would have been better if she had just broken his arm.

„Do you like this place?“ he asked.

The female stared at him, her light brown eyes now burning with anger again. Did he think that this was her happy face?!

„I thought so“, the man then said, slightly nodding to himself. He didn‘t whisper, but he kept his voice rather quiet. He seemed to think for a bit, then the smile grew even wider, now reaching his eyes and making them glint in excitement.

„How about we get you outta here?“


	2. It's All Yours

 

 

 

How did one breathe again?

Yeo felt like she had forgotten the most basic thing in life.

Did he really just say that? He definitely had a death-wish. It was obvious that she wasn't here out of her own accord, a mere pet, the metal ring around her neck indicated as much, so why would he be willing to free a monster like her from her owner?

She was sure, that he didn't know the Dai Li held her as their pet, no one ever knew. No one would want to go against them, there was no chance to ever get away with it. They were the ones who truly ruled Ba Sing Se, the great capital of the Earth Kingdom.

Well, all they ever told Yeo, was that, finally, the Dai Li had started to free themselves and the entire Earth Kingdom from the chains of monarchy, never a true word about what they really did.

The Avatar is a mere human being, only his power to bend all four elements reincarnates, not his sense of justice nor the ability of fulfilling his duties correctly. The Earth King and the Avatar are the same, just people who achieved their role by being born lucky. You have no qualities, you're nothing but a monster. We realized that and everyone else should too.

The words that she had been hearing for the past fifteen years ringed through her head. Remembering them nearly made Yeo shiver, but feeling the stranger's eyes on her, brought her back to reality. He was clearly expecting some kind of reaction. But she didn't know what to say or do.

Maybe... Was he making fun of her?

Yes, that was it for sure. Now that she thought about it, it had to be that way. After noticing her choker, he probably decided to make fun of a slave and give her some false hope.

Innerly, she scoffed at her dumb self. She dreaded the Dai Li so much, that she was consistently afraid of doing something to receive real punishment from them. Her occasional small rebellions would be nothing compared to a real trial to escape. They really had turned her into quite the obedient pet, no wonder they were fine with testing her abilities in underground fights.

„I don't like it when people try to make fun of me", she finally answered, her voice raspy and emotionless.

The burning anger in her eyes slowly faded away and was replaced by a cold, threatening gaze.

The stranger gaped at that. Obviously, he hadn't expected this kind of reaction.

But he collected himself rather fast, tilting his head slightly. When he spoke again, a small smile reappeared on his lips, though it seemed less confident than before.

„I wasn't trying to, I mean it." He glanced around before he continued in a low voice. „I want to help you escape, to regain your freedom. I prepared for this for many months – no, for years. Believe me, my only goal is to set you free."

His friendly face sickened Yeo and his words seemed like a sweet, poisoned fruit. From the very moment she had been locked in that carriage and was brought away from her home, she had desired freedom, and only shortly after that, she had started to desire death as well. Anything that could put an end to what her life was, seemed heavenly, even now, but impossible to ever happen.

After longing for too many years, she thought that she had accepted this reality, but apparently, her desires never left. They showed themselves in her dreams, but rarely in a bright way. To resist the urge to rebel, and to cope with all the pain, Yeo relieved her anger, frustration and fear through slaughtering the Dai Li in her nightmarish dreams.

Most of the times, when she closed her eyes, she was met with hell, but at least it was all hers. Her own world, filled with violence and things she didn't have, like freedom or sadness.

And now, this stranger wanted to bring this world to life. It was tempting, to say the least, but also very scary. To turn something into reality she had only ever imagined, frightened her more than she would have guessed. She feared the unknown, something she only realized at that moment.

„You're crazy", Yeo said tersely. She didn't want her voice to show any of her emotions, not the trepidation nor the undeniable longing she felt nevertheless.

She hoped to get rid of him through simply turning away and not giving him a real reaction, feigning indifference. The female didn't want to believe him nor did she think that there was any chance of success.

But the man kept talking to her. „You're not going to at least give it a try?"

There was something strange in his voice, something she hadn't heard for such a long time that it was hard to recall it. The slight disappointment was obvious, but it sounded much softer than she was used to. The stranger seemed to be sad, but not because he didn't get to make fun of her, what Yeo still slightly suspected to be his real intention, but because he felt with her? Like, he seemed to be sad about her preferring to keep living the hell she had been held in for fifteen years than believing his words and trying to fight for herself, something like that.

But, she didn't want to trust him, she never trusted anyone. It was just the way he put his feelings into the open, she couldn't help but feel touched. That his voice alone had such an effect, scared her. But she gave her best to snap out of it, and just a glance towards one of the Dai Li agents, was enough to get her back to her senses.

He clearly has no idea of what they'll do to me if it fails, what we'd get ourselves into, she thought, but she kept quiet. She just watched as some insignificant people entered the ring and started to drag the Colossal Rock away.

It seemed that the stranger thought of her silence as a sign that she was actually thinking about his words, which caused him to speak up again.

„You know that what you have is not a life, this", he gestured at the arena, „can't be called a living. Shouldn't you fight for your freedom, for being able to truly live? Even if you die, what do you have to lose?"

„I'd be happy if they let me die when I fail", Yeo snapped with a quiet voice, then she turned around. Her face was set, the light-brown eyes fixated on the stranger and unreadably hard. She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

The Dai Li were watching, she had to end this conversation now. Despite not trusting the man, she didn't want him to face a power he didn't understand. But she had no idea which words would make him give up.

The smile had disappeared from his face, Yeo noticed now. And as he spoke again, she realized he must have heard her quiet response.

„Then fight until you're either free or dead." Though what he said was harsh, his eyes expressed how sorry and maybe even guilty he felt for his own words. It was such a genuine expression, that the female's heart just couldn't help but believe him. Innerly she scolded herself for being so naive.

She still tried to fight against her slowly growing desire. It won't work. His words are toxic, you're going to get poisoned, you know it.

„I'll help you. I'll create an opening and fight with you if you decide to use it. We're surrounded by earth and it's all yours." He gestured at the ground, the walls, at the entire building. „You're not alone." The man looked at her with determination before he turned around, and Yeo no longer doubted that he would definitely do something. She just wasn't sure whether it was better to stop him or to just wait and see.

But at least the conversation had ended and only then she noticed, how much her body had tensed during it. She wasn't used to talking to others, it felt more intimidating than a physical duel.

„Alright, our small break is over! We will now resume! Be quick or the front rows will be taken!" The voice of the announcer reminded Yeo of her reality. During her talk she had actually considered leaving this place, just running away from everything, but now the ring around her neck felt colder and tighter than ever before.

Right, this was her reality. Living in a dark cell in an underground complex, forced to train every day. Coming to the illegal fights twice a month was actually something she always looked forward to, something she enjoyed. But everytime she stepped into the ring, she was disappointed by the realization that she actually hated everything about it. The audience that only cared for blood being spilled and bones being broken, the bruises she received and the cruelty, which she had to unleash just to get through - everything was sickening. But it was the closest she ever got to being free. It seemed like being allowed to come her was a reward, like a wish that they generously granted her. They had successfully blinded her.

It came to her as a sudden realization and her body started to heat up. She always knew they were using her, but understanding just how much of an idiot she had been, made her boil with an unimaginable rage. They had to pay for that, for making a fool out of her, for everything.

She clenched her fists and searched the gathering audience for those men that she hated more than anything, but instead she met the light, mustard-colored eyes of a scrawny boy. They stood out in the mass of dark or green ones the rest of the crowd owned. Yeo's eyes, which were a mix of caramel and hazelnut brown, were unusual light for someone of the Earth Kingdom, but this boy seemed to have nearly yellow pupils. It was captivating.

But his gaze was strangely stern, and his simple presence at a place like this was concerning, since he seemed to be merely in the mid of his teens. He shortly locked eyes with her, frowned and then turned around to recede into the crowd.

And only then did Yeo notice the murmuring around her, which grew louder with each second that passed. It took her a moment to understand, that the stranger she had talked to, still stood in the middle of the ring, causing the audience to be confused. What was he doing? If he wouldn't leave soon, they would simply carry on and he'd be caught in the next fight – and no one should want to get caught in one of Yeo's fights.

But the man didn't seem like he was fearing anything. He wore are relaxed, maybe even a slightly excited expression as he looked around. Then he turned his face towards her and grinned.

Yeo narrowed her eyes, wary of what his plan could be. But he simply repeated the gesture from before and his words ringed through her head. We're surrounded by earth and it's all yours. You're not alone.

Then all hell broke loose.

The stranger threw his head back and an enormous flame erupted out of his mouth, turning into a gigantic dragon that soon started to occupy the air inside the arena. Yeo stumbled backwards in surprise. Her legs gave in and she just sat on the ground, too overwhelmed to do more than instinctively shielding her face from the heat. She had never seen something like that, much less did she expect it.

The audience above them screeched in sudden fear, painful screams filled the room as some were run over by panicking others or scorched by the flames. Wood started to burn and Yeo was no longer able to see anything of what was going on, there was nothing but fire and smoke.

This was the opening.

This was what the stranger had hinted at. Now it was up to her whether it'd be just a small spectacle or the starting point of her life in freedom.

She dug her scarred fingers into the earth, let the crumbles and dust rinse through the small gaps in between. She closed her eyes, recalled all the pain, all the wounds, all the punishments, all the torment she had to experience because of the Dai Li.

But no more.

The heat of the roaring flames above her inflamed her wrath even further, gave her the strength to push all of her fears aside. She turned all the painful memories into anger and the desire to destroy everything around her grew, willingly ignoring that dozens of people would get hurt or even die. She stood up again and let the power flow through her body with every breath.

Yeo stretched out her arms and fingers, tried to dig her bare toes into the ground. She felt the entire arena, up to the very end of the walls, the little cracks here and there, the stones and splints lying around. She felt the weight of the stranger pressing onto the ground, the stomping feed of the panic-struck people, running to get out of the hell, which had been a place of entertainment for them just seconds ago. And she felt the five unfazed Dai Li agents, who didn't move an inch while waiting to attack.

She felt everything.

She tensed and the arena followed her command. Earth crumbs and scraps rose and floated in the air, then the ground and the walls started to crackle. But this had nothing to do with concentration. It was immense power coming from sheer wrath and it flowed into the earth, built up more and more tautness.

A loud crack behind her, indicated that everything would collapse if Yeo were to rise the tension even more. So she shifted her stance slowly, her hands now clenched into fists and the unkempt nails digging into her palms.

And then she released everything.

With all a scream full of rage, she slammed her fists down onto the ground and the arena exploded. Thick earth pillars erupted in random places, cracks widened into big fissures and splints shot into various directions like a cross-fire. Dust rose and made it nearly impossible to see. No one above the ring was save and even the firebending stranger nearly lost his stance at the shaking earth beneath his feet.

One of the five agents was too slow and an earth pillar hit him so hard that he was thrown out of sight, maybe even out of the building.

One less to deal with.

Yeo got back up and sent herself flying, jumping over the edge of the ring. She looked like a beast of the spirit world, seeking vengeance and coming for the lives of her enemies. Her mere sight was terrifying, even for the usually unfazed Dai Li agents. Only now did they understand what kind of monster they had created.

The firebender was right behind the female, but she didn't pay him any attention. Her mind had went completely blank and her eyes were filled with blood-lust. It felt so good to finally give her „owners" what they deserved, it put her into exhilaration.

A grin crept it's way onto Yeo's lips, then she surged forward with intense speed. Her body turned and twisted as if she was dreadfully dancing with the earth. Her moves were too fast for the eye to follow. Taking on the four remainig men at once, she seemed to have gone mad.

Her sudden rebellion had taken them by surprise and at first they struggled to hold up against her, but they were highly skilled earthbenders and not to be underestimated. As Yeo took the first of them out, the others had already collected themselves and adjusted to her speed.

Soon she started to grit her teeth as attacks came from three sides and blocking them reduced her own opportunities to land hits. Frustration started to grow inside her, slowly the previous felt ecstasy started to fade and fear started to replace it.

Then the firebender joined her side. Back to back they tried their best to work together, which was hard for Yeo since she had always fought alone. But they both focused on their own side and thus the tables turned again.

The stranger kept one of the agents occupied while the female fought the other two. Yeo was able to hold up against them, despite being in an overall bad shape and a bit injured from the fight against the Colossal Rock. More than that, she was even able to push them back. She had fought Dai Li agents many times for training, which was why she knew how strong they could be, but she also knew their techniques.

The grin reappeared on her face and she started a fast, but reckless attack. Ditching all her defenses, she managed to knock one of her two opponents to the ground, breaking his nose and causing his face to be covered in blood. A feeling of great satisfaction warmed her body. She drowned in a state of ecstasy, in the desire to bring despair to her enemies and to color everything red...

Until the ring around her neck tightened. Abruptly the frenzy was taken away in the most cruel way possible. She tried to scream in pain as her skin was squashed, but every sound died right in her throat. She could hear her upper vertebrae silently crack. Choking she scratched and pulled on the metal, but it didn't move one bit.

Then a boulder hit her knee and coughing blood which suffocated another scream, she fell to the ground. Tears formed in her already reddened eyes and she writhed in agony on the ground.

Finally the tight feeling around her neck lessened. Yeo gasped for air, her trembling hands tried to grab something, just anything she could hold onto. Her heart slammed against her ribs like it wanted to just break out and run away in fear.

Slowly she moved her head and a man entered her field of view. Dried blood colored his temples red and he wore the gloves of the Dai Li. While one hand was pointed at Yeo, he had grabbed the neck of a boy with the other. Anxiously widened, mustard-colored eyes darted back and forth between her and something that was beyond her. It was the boy who had caught her eye before.

„Don't move."

The voice of the metalbender sounded a bit exhausted, but it still made Yeo feel like someone threw her into ice-cold water and she started to shiver. She could still feel some anger inside herself, but the fear seemed to paralyze her. Her breathing was heavy and every gulp felt like her throat was burned from the inside.

She heard a groan from behind her and the thud of a body hitting the ground. Fighting against her paralysis and the pain, which had taken over most parts of her body, she rolled over a bit to see what was going on.

The firebender kneeled on the ground with his hands behind the head. His eyes glared at the metalbender with a fiery hatred, which hadn't been there before. But Yeo was able to feel his rapid heart beating and slight trembling through the earth. There was something he dreaded like his worst nightmare.

„Let him go, he's just a kid. He has nothing to do with this", the kneeling man said with a nearly emotionless voice. He didn't sound like he was begging, but Yeo was sure that was exactly what he planned to do if necessary.

The metalbender scoffed.

„I don't think so. This kid tried to burn me. He's one of your lot." He grabbed the boy by his raven hair and pulled his head back. „Your son? Apprentice maybe? Pathetic!" He spit in the younger's face, then pushed him to the ground. But despite the rough treatment not a single whine escaped the poor boy's mouth. There was fight in his eyes.

Yeo wanted nothing more but to jump on to her feet and claw the man's eyes out, but she was barely able to heave her upper body a bit, not to mention her badly hurting knee. The hit hadn't been hard enough to break bones, but a few years ago she had suffered a bad injury and it never entirely healed - despite the efforts of various healers. If she could just lose consciousness, then she wouldn't have to bear this pain.

But she was far from escaping anything. She was pulled upwards by the ring around her neck, forced to kneel as well. Tears escaped her eyes again, but this time she aggressively wiped them away and sharply sucked in a breath to suppress another scream. Fight until you're either free or dead. Those had been the stranger's words and now it was the only thing, which was left for her to hold onto. Her own suffering never made her seriously want to fight, but as she saw how the two firebenders were treated, she felt more motivated and determined than ever. Fighting for herself, for her own good was so hard, but somehow it seemed much easier to fight for the sake of others.

„Did you really think these two could free you? Could beat us?", the metalbender laughed coldly, now talking to Yeo. She narrowed her eyes in anger. No, but I thought I could beat you, she growled innerly. But no word left her mouth. She had decided to not give them anything anymore, at least nothing else than pain.

The other Dai Li agents laughed silently, one shook his head in amusement. But the female only looked at the one who had control over the ring around her neck. He sighed dramatically and a disappointed look appeared on his face. „How foolish of you. You knew perfectly well which fate would await them and you still decided to try. You could have protected them, you had the chance to let them keep living their beautiful, peaceful lives, but what to expect from a monster like you. You see, this is why we keep you away from the world. You can't make decisions on your own, you're only ever good at hurting others. Now they'll have to suffer, all because you didn't care about what their fate would be. You never care about anyone."

He stepped on the boy and pressed his heel down on the younger's face. Yeo's heart ached like it had never done before. She knew everything he said was the truth. Even though everything had been started by the older firebender, from the very moment she had built up her rage, made her decision and started to fight, she hadn't thought about her ally even once. It's not like it's my intention to be a monster... I just am...

She felt disheartened and cold. Just so cold.

As if she was drowning in pitch black water, ice above her that prevented her from getting out. No matter how hard she slammed her hands against it, it just wouldn't break. Not a single crack. There was no air to breathe, her lounges couldn't fill themselves and her heart panicked in her chest. Her vision became blurry, dark shadows started to creep in from the corners of her eyes. Just like back then. But back then she wasn't alone and someone was there to save her, in her last winter as a human being.

The memories were crashing in on her and tried to pull her away from the scenery right before her eyes. The metalbender laughing at Yeo's panic attack, then proceeding to step on the poor boy. The firebender tried to free himself but only received beating. Kicks in the stomach, sharp earth cutting his skin open, digging into his side, bruises all over his body.

Then a hit on the head and his body slumped to the ground.

Together with the thud and a scream that teared Yeo's already deeply scarred heart apart, coming from the poor boy, her vision became black and she drowned in the pitch black, ice cold water...


	3. Outburst

It was painful.

It was so, so painful.

He was lying on the cold, hard ground, unable to move.

There was just so much pain.

Being thrown down, getting kicked and being stepped on.

But he clenched his jaw, not letting a single sound escape.

They should not know his pain, his fear, his father should not worry about him. He would bear all the pain if it meant that the anxiety, which had taken over his father’s features, would just vanish. He wanted to tell him that everything was alright, that he didn’t need to worry, but he was sure that as soon as he would open his mouth, nothing but whimpers would come out.

His father’s expression was one, which Tazo had never seen before, and never had wanted to see.

The boy had argued and claimed that he was a strong fighter, that he would be of great help. He had have to promise to _always_ listen, to stay away from fights and any sort of danger, just to be allowed to join his father on his journey...

In the end he had failed.

He had failed so badly, and there was no excuse for it.

But he still wanted to stay strong, he wasn’t willing to give up just yet...

Even now, as he was suffering because of her, he still held on to the thought that it was right, that they did the right thing, and that his father truly believed that as well.

The pressure on his face got stronger and Tazo clenched his eyes. The urge to scream was so strong, fighting in his chest, trying to break out. But it wasn’t him who raised his voice, it was his father. Two men held him now, trying to keep him in check while he was struggling against their strong grips. Tenzho had seemed so calm when the metalbender had brought his son in, but now fear was all that could be seen in his pleading eyes.

With every kick that the boy received, the man begged more and more, until pride became a word unknown to him. But mercy wasn’t something to be expected of the Dai Li. They got only annoyed by his desperation, and soon they took their anger out on him, beating him with their bending. The boy wanted to yell at them to stop, but the heel, which was pressed into the side of his face, pained him so much, that he couldn’t do anything but groan each time he wanted to open his mouth. Tazo started to struggle as well, his arms moved uselessly beside him, unable to get rid of the foot or to push himself upwards.

Then he saw his father taking a hard hit on the head. Time seemed to have slowed down as blood spluttered, the man’s body went limp and fell to the ground with a thud. Tazo’s breath hitched, his body started to tremble and his eyes stung.

He screamed.

A blood-curdling scream, filled with the agony of his pained body and tormented mind. Finally, he let his tears flow and they streamed down his face, leaving thin lines on his dirt-covered cheeks.

His mind had went completely blank, there was nothing left but pain.

Just so much pain.

Suddenly the room fell silent, there were no noises but the boy’s cries, and he let them die down as he felt the silence growing heavier. The pressure on his body disappeared, the metalbender of the Dai Li had stepped away as abruptly, the ground started to shake and the fire got stronger, the flames increasing in size and licking at the ceiling high above their heads. And even though the heat rose with every second, the atmosphere cooled down at rapid pace until shivers ran down Tazo’s spine.

He fought the desire to immediately crawl to his father’s side, and instead lifted his head to look around with blurry vision, trying to grasp the situation.

A blue light caught his attention and his sobs got caught in his throat as he laid eyes on it’s origin – it was _her_ , the female earthbender.

 _He was right, she is it._ She really was the Avatar, just like his father had guessed.

But she was far more terrifying than Tazo had ever thought possible. He had seen illustrations of men and women with glowing eyes many times, but none of them got close to the sight of _this_ Avatar.

Not just her in anger narrowed eyes emitted ethereal blue light, which darkened the shadows made by the sharp contours of her hardened face, but also her skin seemed to be glowing. To be more precise, countless lines, short and long ones, thick and fine ones, all over her body, allowed the light coming from inside of her, to shine through.

Tazo’s breath hitched again, as he fearfully realized, that those lines were scars. The female was literally _covered in scars._ Just like the arrow-shaped tattoos of the airbenders could glow, all those testimonies of a life, too painful to even be imagined, did as well. Even in her face, on her cheekbone, her jawline, above her eye, light emitted through scars. It made her face seem to have lost it’s human shape, throwing dark shadows and highlighting random parts, caused it to appear distorted and nothing but horrifying.

A nightmare that had come to life.

No, even Tazo’s worst nightmares wouldn’t have been able to come up with something like that.

He felt the blazing heat surrounding him, consuming the air inside of the building, and never had he been this scared of his own element. He had seen dragons spitting flames, woods burning to ashes in dry summers, but this was different. He felt like he had stepped into a volcano right before it erupts.

When the rubble of the destroyed building rose, he noticed how well that description really fitted. The glowing female paused for a second, stones, boulders, debris floating around her, then, with a motion too fast for the eye to see, she send everything crashing down. The floor got ripped open, deep cracks and gaps split the ground. Fire, earth and dust combined to a storm that tore the few remaining walls apart, the remnants of the ceiling collapsing.

Tazo barely managed to shield his head with his arms. His entire body was shaking in fear, he kept his eyes shut as if the situation would cease to exist if he didn’t see it.

He cried.

The trepidation started to overwhelm him.

He heard the screams of men. Afraid it could be his father, he opened his eyes again, but it was hard to see anything in the chaos. Tazo tried to wipe away his tears, becoming a bit braver by the desire to make sure that his father hadn’t been one of the screaming men.

He saw the Dai Li agents, trying to hold up against the Avatar, but they all were going down eventually, even the metalbender, who tried to force the female down by bending the ring around her neck, couldn’t do anything. She just bend his earth glove to break his hands and wrists, crushing his bones.

The boy had to look away, fighting against the nauseous feeling in his stomach and in the back of his throat. Was she going to destroy everything and kill every single person? Where was his father? Would they be able to make it out alive? Or was this how they would die?

Again, he was shaken by fear, his body weak and his breaths fast.

He was surrounded by a terrifying chaos, just what should he do? Was there even anything he could do?

Then he finally spotted his father, still lying on the ground. Tazo bit his lip and clenched his hands into fists. He gathered all the courage he had left and started to crawl towards him. He winced when small splints scratched him or flames scorched his skin, stopped in his tracks when he was afraid that a boulder might hit him.

Finally, he was by Tenzho’s side. He reached out to him, shook his shoulders.

“Dad”, he begged. “Dad, please!”

He got no reaction.

“Dad! We need to get out! Please, dad, get up!”

He was now yelling, but still, no response at all.

Something big crashed into the ground, only a step away from them. He flinched and threw himself over Tenzho’s body, clenching his eyes shut. The tears started to flow again, the boy holding on to his father tightly.

He couldn’t handle the fear anymore, it was too much. All he hoped for at this point, was for an end to come quickly.

 

*****

 

A sudden light appeared, fighting away the cold darkness. She felt a new power form inside of herself. It’s immense force was scary, but something about it felt strangely warm and… somehow familiar? As if it belonged to her, a strength that returned to her after being lost for a long time.

Her eyes adjusted to the abrupt luminosity that enlightened her surroundings, but there wasn’t much to see, everything seemed to lie behind a mystical fog – until a person appeared out of nowhere, right in front of her and made her flinch in surprise. It was a tall, muscular woman with brown hair and her eyes were glowing in a blue light. Then another person showed up besides the first one, a man with an arrow tattooed on his bald head and it was glowing in the same blue as the woman’s and his eyes.

More and more people started to join the first two, faster and faster they emerged out of the mist. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of men and women, too many to count, of various ages and looks, but with the same glowing eyes. Every nation was represented, repeating in the same order – water, air, fire, earth.

It was some sight to behold.

Yeo couldn’t help but feel intimidated by them, though she wasn’t afraid. She had that weird feeling that they weren’t dangerous at all.

As she scrutinized the people in the front rows, some appeared familiar to her. Blurry memories of past nightmares flashed through her mind and gave her a slight headache. She messaged her temples as she started to understand at least a bit of what was going on. The desire to simply deny all of it and to run away, formed inside of her and even grew, as she let her eyes wander over the mass of people in front of her.

All of them had been the Avatar during their own eras.

Yeo felt her body trembling.

They were her past incarnations.

The chosen ones before her. Able to bend all four elements and destined to keep the world in balance.

And now they had come to push her onto the same path.

She shook her head, she wanted to refuse, but a lump in her throat prevented her from talking. The serious looks on their faces seemed to pierce right through her, the atmosphere grew heavier with each second passing by.

Wind came up, strong and harsh, pulling on her ragged clothes and the wild, unkempt hair. The mist, together with the past avatars, was torn into pieces. What had seemed so real just a moment ago, turned out to be nothing more than a projection of her mind.

But it only scared Yeo even more. What if the wind would tear her apart just the same? What if everything she thought herself to be, was nothing but her own imagination as well?

She felt a huge weight pressing down on her back, causing her knees to give in. She was now surrounded by a storm, and she was the center, the eye. It became even stronger as the panic inside of her grew.

Filled with fear, she pressed her hands onto her ears, desperately covering them. Please stop, please, please, just stop, she begged.

She felt like she was facing a monster. No, it wasn’t just a feeling. She always knew that it resided inside of her, but this was the first time she actually ‘met’ it. And surely it wanted to erase the small being she was to fully take control.

Yeo was scared. How do you fight a monster if it’s inside of you? Was there even anything she could do to prevent being swallowed as a whole?

She clenched her hands into fists and tried to calm down her heavy breathing. Concentrate. This is only happening inside of your head, remember?

Slowly she managed to recall what had happened before she found herself at this empty place. Fighting through the worsening headache, pictures of the fight flashed before her eyes. The memory of being choked caused her body to tense and tremble even harder than it already did. And then the scene of her ally, the only she ever had, collapsing after begging for mercy for his son, the pained cry of a boy.

Right, that was the reality, not this monster causing havoc and closing in on her in form of a frightening storm. Or, maybe this was real as well, but shouldn’t Yeo be the one in control of her own mind? Shouldn’t the monster retreat if she forced it with her thoughts? Just like she was able to suppress her own emotions if she needed or simply wanted to.

Struggling against the weight that still pressed down on her back, she gave her best to get up again.

“Go away”, she spoke, her voice raspy and thin. Clearing her throat, she repeated her words, now stronger and more determined.

Nothing happened.

She inhaled deeply, trying to clear her head once again. It was hard, fear and anger wanted to come back as soon as she had pushed them away. She was bad at staying calm, really bad. Usually, she resorted to nothing but force.

But as she closed her eyes for more concentration, the man and the boy came into her mind again. Yeo felt sorry for them. She wanted to help them. They risked their lives just to free a worthless beast like her. It was still impossible for her to understand, but she felt something weird, something warm, thinking about it. They didn’t know her, she didn’t know them, she didn’t trust them, but for now they were everything she could hold onto to change her miserable life into something, that was at least a tiny bit better. She wanted to help them and be helped by them.

She could still feel the power and turmoil inside of her, let it rise while inhaling deeply once again, and then breathed it all out. The storm built up, then suddenly withered away until there was nothing left but a slight breeze, cool but calming.

Yeo felt all of her strength drain at once. It was only inside her head, but her body sunk to the ground as black invaded her vision.

 

Her body felt heavy and sore as she regained consciousness. Contrary to the chill wind she had felt before, she was now surrounded by a blazing heat. Breathing in, dust invaded her lungs and she coughed. She heard the crackling of fire, a bit of rumbling, probably some walls that were close to collapsing, and someone was sobbing silently.

It hurt just to lift her head, everything was spinning, but it got better each time she blinked. As she moved, she made a rustling noise and the sobbing abruptly stopped. She halted and it was silent for a moment. Then she saw someone getting up and her body tensed. Her mind was still dull and slow to process everything around her, and she expected the person to be one of the Dai Li agents. She already searched for a way of defending herself, when she started to realize that the stranger, who was now coming closer, was way smaller than the men she dreaded, and had a hard time to walk steady as well.

Mustard-colored eyes met hers, and she finally recognized the possible son of the firebender. Collecting herself again, she continued to try to get up. Her entire body was in pain, but that wasn’t necessarily something new to her. In truth, she couldn’t even recall the last day she wasn’t aching all over.

But as soon as she tried to bend her knee, she bit her lip, trying to suppress a scream, but couldn’t keep a whimper from leaving her throat.

That damned knee of hers, it was nothing but trouble.

She jerked, her breath hitching, as suddenly a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her upwards. For a second her eyes looked at the boy in shock and fear, widely opened, before she got back to her senses and narrowed them again. He tried to help her up, but his strength was barely enough to even call it a support. Still, Yeo was able to make use of it and thought of maybe appreciating it a little.

Avoiding to bend her damaged knee again, she managed to rise to her feet. Carefully, she put some weight on her hurting leg, and felt a bit of relief as it was willing to carry her. It was painful, but much less than flexing it.

“Come! We need to leave!” The boy’s voice brought Yeo’s attention back to him. He seemed extremely stressed, panic showed in his red eyes. He must’ve cried really hard.

“Hurry!”

Now he was yelling, his voice cracked in desperation and he grabbed the female by her torn clothes. She quickly shook her head, forcing her feelings down and decided to obey for now. Together they stumbled through the debris field that had been a building used for secret underground fights les than an hour ago. It looked way worse than what Yeo remembered from before she had been trapped in her own mind. What had happened? How long had she been unconscious?

The boy brought her to a limp body lying on the ground. Blood dirtied his clothes and made his hair appear wet. It was the firebender, the man who had encouraged her to fight for herself.

Suddenly he twitched and the boy immediately ran to his side. “Dad!” He carefully held him by the shoulders. But the man didn’t open his eyes, his body only cramped in heavy pain.

The boy’s head snapped back to Yeo, fear but also anger present in his eyes.

“HURRY UP!”

She tensed to avoid flinching and narrowed her eyes, but limped over to the two males as fast as she could. She looked down at the bleeding man.

“Help me! I can’t carry him alone! Now!” The younger’s voice was filled with desperation.

For a split second, there was a sad look on the female’s face, but she quickly got rid of it and replaced it with an emotionless expression. She wanted to tell him to leave his father, that he most-likely wouldn’t make it, that he should only care for himself, but then she stopped herself. She didn’t now as to why exactly, probably because she didn’t expect him to listen to her anyway and arguing would only waste time.

So she simply bent her back and placed her hands on one arm of the firebender. The boy followed her motions and together they heaved the man back on his feet. Not that he was able to stand, much less to walk, though. They put his arms around their necks, Yeo narrowing her eyes once again, trying to ignore the edges of the metal ring that were now pressed into her skin.

The man was heavy, which wasn’t really surprising, and normally that wouldn’t have been a problem for the female, considering that she was fairly strong for her rather small height, but her body was already struggling to carry itself, and the boy was so scrawny and seemed to be naturally lacking of physical strength, so he wasn’t really of great help. All of this made it pretty hard for them to make their way through the rubble and the ruins.

Frustration built up inside of Yeo, they were so painfully slow! She hadn’t seen any Dai Li agents – well, besides those who were lying on the ground together partially buried by the debris. But, in this city, nothing would go unnoticed by the Dai Li – despite it’s enormous population and vastness. It was only a matter of time, until another group of them would arrive to get in their way and to crash all hopes of freedom.

But she wouldn’t accept that. Not now that a new life, no, a life at all, seemed to be nearly close enough to be touched, as if she only needed to reach out her hand. Like a rope that would pull her out of the abyss and over the edge, back into the world she once had been stolen from.

Just the thought of it gave her back some of her strength, and she placed on hand on the waist of the man to carry more of his weight and ease things for the boy on the other side a bit. She quickened her pace, not really caring whether the younger was able to keep up, but he seemed to do well enough.

Once they left the ruins and got to the road, however, Yeo slowed down again. Through all of the years she had been held in the underground of this city and brought to the fights in this arena, she had never seen even a bit of it, never laid an eye on the dirty streets, the small houses and poorly built shacks of the lower ring. She had no idea where to go.

It was now that the boy took the lead again. He seemed to know his ways around here. They only followed the main road for a very short time, then they made their way through shabby alleys, always trying to stay in the shadows created by the rough walls of the buildings and the faint moonlight.

Yeo breathed in the fresh air, felt herself calming down a bit, even though they were still on the run, even though they were nowhere near being save yet. But she just couldn’t help it. For her, inhaling the calm breeze of the city already felt like freedom. Everyone else would probably describe the lower ring as sticky, dusty and suffocating, but everyone else hadn’t spent fifteen years in an underground complex, locked in a musty cell day and night. The only times she had been able to smell fresh air, had been the few seconds it took to bring her to the fighting arena and back again.

The female had been so absorbed by simply breathing in and out, that it took distant yells to get her back to her senses. She jolted, ready to let go of the injured and run away, but thinking it over again, it couldn’t be their pursuers. They wouldn’t be so dumb as to announce their presence by being noisy. They were closer to cats hunting their pray, closing in planned and slowly, and you wouldn’t realize their presence until it was too late.

These thoughts send a shiver down her spine.

Yeo quickened her pace once again, her breaths now so heavy that they felt deafening loud in the silence of the night. They needed some place to hide, somewhere to get some rest.

She glanced at the boy, but before she could even think about what to say, he had noticed and started to speak on his own.

“Don’t worry”, he whispered between heavy breaths. “We planned everything.”

Though his words seemed calm, he didn’t seem very confident, his voice sounded bitter and the terrified look was still present on his face. Having to carry his badly injured father probably hadn’t been included in their plans. His hands clasped so hard onto the man, that his knuckles had turned white, but even that couldn’t keep them from shaking.

Yeo decided to look away. Somehow it was hard for her to watch someone who openly showed his vulnerability. She had no idea how to act around someone who was… weak.

Suddenly twitches run through the body they were carrying and the man’s breathing became more present, but also grew shallow. He tried to use his legs, which had been dragged through the dirt until now, but he was barely able to move them.

“Dad!”, the boy exclaimed, but immediately bit down on his lip, afraid to lead their pursuers to them.

“Mono…rail...”, the man panted, his eyes fluttering, trying to open.

His son nodded. “I know, don’t worry. We’re already close.”  
Yeo shifted her gaze back to him at his words. She had no idea what they were talking about. But she hoped that they knew a fast way to escape this city. They wouldn’t be safe until they left all the walls behind them.

Finally, the boy came to a halt in front of a huge stone building. It didn’t look like a house, there weren’t any walls to begin with. Thick pillars grew towards the sky, supporting a platform approximately ten meters above the ground. Stairs made their way up to it and constructions, which looked like slim bridges, emerged from there and spread out all over the city.

They took a few deep breaths, then climbed up the steps. Yeo looked around, trying to understand why they had made their way here. Her eyes eventually settled on the boy, and even though she didn’t say a word nor did she put any emotion into her face, he seemed to know about her confusion.

“This is a station of the monorail system of this city”, he said while he made his way towards the middle of the station. Placed on the rail was an old, rectangular train compartment, completely made out of stone.

“Nowadays the trains are made out of metal and are moved by machines, but a few centuries ago they looked like this. Back then it was the job of earthbenders to make them move”, the boy explained and gave Yeo a meaningful look. She guessed that this would now be her task. Maybe it also was the reason why they hadn’t immediately abandoned her? She was sure there was more to it, but they were on the run, this wasn’t the right time to question their motives.

“Tell me what to do”, she simply said, helping the younger to place his father in the vehicle. There were seats aligned on which they laid him down.

The boy pointed to one end of the compartment. “Place yourself there, you need to push from behind. How exactly is for you to figure out, you’re the earthbender.”

The terrified tone of his voice had reduced to mere fatigue, though it was still trembling. He tried to be strong now and get a hold of himself, he probably knew he was the only one of their trio that could lead them out of the city.

Yeo simply followed his orders, nothing she enjoyed, but it wasn’t the first time she had to obey either. She had never been given the task to move such a big object before, but the size wasn’t the problem. Her body and mind were tired, it was hard to think of a good technique and even harder to pull herself together. But earth was the element of survival, the thing she was the best at. If she knew how to do something, then it was how to go beyond her limits, solely to make it through another day. Maybe someday her body would get back at her for pushing it so much, but she wouldn’t mind it. Not if she could at least get a tiny taste of real freedom, of living.

She managed to get the train compartment to move, but it was slow. It took her a bit of time to find a better technique, and eventually she was able to speed things up. She kept on pushing, even though they were already going at such a fast pace, it might become dangerous. The vehicle started to shake and even bumped against the borders of the railway.

Then she saw them coming.

Speeding through a street beneath them, a group of Dai Li agents gave their best to catch up to them. They were fast because they only had to push the weight of their own bodies, but the streets slowed them down. They jumped onto the roofs of the ragged houses, then onto the railway.

Yeo started to panic. Now it was only a matter of time until they would get caught. Stones were already aimed at her and dug into the back of the vehicle. She only evaded them through ducking, but it also prevented her from pushing the train.

Suddenly fire was shot at their pursuers. She dared to look up and saw the boy leaning out of a window. She didn’t know he was capable of bending as well. Why hadn’t he properly fought with them before?

Anger built up in her, giving her strength to give a powerful push to the compartment. She heard a short yelp from the inside and felt good for a second, until the younger stuck his head out again.

He was so pale and fear was written all over his face, but he still kept firing fire blasts at their pursuers, preventing them from getting closer, and even pushed one of them off the railway.

No word about her unnecessary dangerous action. Not even a glare.

Guilt built up inside of Yeo and she felt like banging her head against a wall for behaving so stupidly.

She gave another strong push to the vehicle, but this time with more care and more concentration, sending it forward at an incredible speed. Then she turn around, facing the Dai Li agents.

The boy might have been able to keep them from getting much closer, but he wasn’t able to get rid of them on his own. They were already close to the Inner Wall, which divided the Lower Ring from the Agrarian Zone. It was a good moment to get rid of their pursuers or to at least buy a bit of time.

The female gathered her power, feeling how her sore body protested, but she kept on pushing it. She raised her right arm, then pulled it down, her other limbs moving along, as if she were slamming down onto something only she was able to see. The stone of the monorail started to crackle.

She repeated her movement and the railway shook violently as big cracks showed up, splints and small boulders fell down onto the streets below.

Yeo took a deep breath, then slammed into the air once again. Right in front of the group of men the bridge collapsed in a huge explosion, dust erupting like ash out of a volcano.

Her eyes lingered on the scene for a few seconds, the sound of her own heavy breath deafened by the loud noises of crashing stones, but none of their pursuers showed up. She was still quite sure, that at least a few had been able to avoid getting crushed, but maybe they needed to gather themselves and regroup.

Then they finally reached the Inner Wall, and despite being completely out of breath, the female made use of her bending abilities once more to let the small entrance collapse behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soo... originally the events of the first four chapters were supposed to be put in one, then I decided on three and in the end it will be four, I guess... I'm not sure whether that was a good decision, but I promise, the next one will finally conclude the start of the story and the first sub-plot will start ^^

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone wants to help me correcting the mistakes I made, please feel free to contact me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/fredli_http) ^^


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